Horn



0. DOTSON June 10, 1930.

HORN

Filed Feb. 15. 1929 abtozmq Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ORA DOTSON, OF ELKHART, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO 0. G. CONN, LTD, OF ELKHART, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA HORN Application filed February 15, 1929 Serial No. 340,096.

This invention relates to wind musical instruments, and especially to heavy horns which are wholly supported upon the shoulder of the player.

The largest types of bass horns, generally known as Sousa-phones, weigh from twenty five to fifty and sixty pounds, and this weight is carried wholly upon the shoulder of the player. And inasmuch as the branch portion of the horn which actually engages the players shoulder is much smaller in diameter than other portions of the instrument body, the weight of the horn becomes burdensome and frequently painful to the player.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a horn of the class described with a supporting saddle which engages the shoulder of the player to relieve the player of the discomfort caused by the direct contact of the body of the instrument.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bass horn with a rockable supporting saddle which automatically adapts itself to the contour of the players shoulder upon which the saddle rests.

Other objects of the invention are mentioned and described herein.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a heavy bass horn of conventional design showing my invention applied thereto;

Fig.2 illustrates an enlarged side view of a fragment of the horn branch and the saddle invention applied thereto; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views on the drawing.

Referring to the details of the drawing the numeral 1 indicates a bass horn of the Well known heavy design which when in use is supported upon one shoulder of the player, as is well known in the art. The horn is provided with the usual curved intermediate branch section 2, the inner periphery whereof has the curved saddle element 3 mounted thereon and extending along said branch section.

As illustrated, the saddle 3 is made of sheet metal of uniform thickness and is concavo-convex or trough-like, in cross-section, the convex surface thereof being exposed and adapted to engage the players shoulder to support the entire weight of the instrument thereon. The opposite ends of the saddle 3 may be somewhat constricted to carry the hinge elements 4 and 5 which are rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner, said hinge elements being suitably apertured to rockably engage the pintle studs 6 and 7 projecting from and rigid with the pintle brackets 8 and 9 which are welded, or otherwise secured, to the exterior of the branch section Preferably, the studs 6 and 7 are screwed into the brackets 4 and 5, respectively, to enable the ready mounting and re moval of the saddle.

The saddle 3 being formed concavo-convex, 0r trough-like, in cross-section, as a sheet metal element, and being formed to a much greater radius; than that of the branch section 2, which is cylindrical, the weight of the horn is necessarily distributed over a greater area when the saddle engages the players shoulder, and the horn can, therefore, be carried with relatively greater comfort.

It is understood that I do not desire to be limited to the particular details of construction shown and described for obvious modi fications will occur to one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The combination with a wind musical instrument adapted to be supported upon the shoulder of the player, of a curved saddle element mounted upon the instrument body and extending longitudinally of a curved portion of the instrument.

2. The combination with a wind musical instrument adapted to be supported upon the shoulder of the player, of an inflexible saddle element mounted upon the instrument body and formed to conform with the contour of the instrument body.

3. The combination with a wind musical instrument adapted to be supported upon the shoulder of the player and provided with a curved branch portion, of an inflexible saddle element having its opposite ends rockably connected with said instrument branch portion at the inner periphery thereof, said saddle element being curved to conform with the longitudinal curve of the instrument branch portion.

4. The combination with a wind musical instrument of the character described which is provided with a tubular curved branch section, of a supporting element mounted upon the instrument adjacent the curved branch section thereof.

5. The combination with a wind musical instrument of the character described which is provided with a tubular curved branch section, of a supporting element mounted upon the instrumentadjacent the curved branch section and within the curved portion of said branch.

6. The combination with a wind musical instrument of the character described which is provided with a tubular curved branch section, of a laterally tiltable supporting element mounted upon the instrument adjacent the curved branch section thereof.

7. The combination with a horn provided with a curved branch section, of a. curved metallic supporting element pivotallv mounted within the curved instrument branch to enable lateral pivotal action of said supporting element.

8. The combination with a horn provided with a curved branch section, of a curved metallic supporting element arranged adjacent said branch section, within the curve thereof. and having its opposite ends pivotally connected therewith.

ORA DOTSON. 

